"Mary Dumas died this morning."

Klaus closed his eyes. He had never really liked the woman. But she was Hayley and Hope's family. Had been their rock, their safe place, their one constant during the five years they had been on the run from Marcel trying to find a way to save the others. And now, both of his little wolves were hurting, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. "How are they?"

"I really don't know. Hope is… I think she's in shock, to be honest. The last time we lost someone that she was personally close to was Jackson. She was just a baby, and had no idea what was going on. This is different. To be honest, it's Hayley that I'm worried about, though. Hope's reaction is exactly what you would expect of a ten-year-old getting her first taste of death and mortality. Hayley… You would think that she would be used to it by now. And, for once, it was natural causes. The woman died of old age, it doesn't really get any more peaceful than that. But, Hayley is taking this as hard as she took Jackson's death."

"It's probably because of Jackson. Like you said, Hope was just a baby when he died. And the rest of us never really liked the guy. Mary was her last connection to him. She just lost him all over again."

He didn't say the rest of what he was thinking. Hayley needed Elijah. Now, more than ever. She needed the one person who could never be there for her. Klaus could return to New Orleans temporarily when Hope went back to school. But, Elijah… Elijah was gone.

He picked up a glass and threw it. Hayley was hurting, and the one person best equipped to deal with it was in France, locked in a mental prison of his own making. Marcel was family twice over, the brother-in-law that Klaus loved like a son. But, in that moment, when Hayley needed Elijah and Elijah wasn't there, he would gladly rip the younger man limb from limb for taking his brother from them.

She needed Elijah. She needed the comfort that only he could give her. All any of the rest of them could be was a poor substitute. But, Klaus was still the next best thing. "Call me when Hope goes back to school. I'll be on the next plane out there."

"Klaus…"

"I'm not what she really needs, Freya. I know that. There is a certain comfort that he could give her that I can't. But, since putting her on a plane to France isn't an option, I'm the best we've got. And don't forget, you aren't my only source of information. I can always ask Caroline to call me when Hope gets back to Mystic Falls. But, with or without your help, sister, I will be there for Hayley."

"I'll call you."

"Good girl. Now then, are either of them up to talking to me?"

"They're in the bayou, with their people. I can have them call you when they get in?"

"Only if they're feeling up to it. Hug them both for me, though?"

"Klaus…"

And with that one word, he understood Freya's reluctance in having him go to New Orleans. He understood the assumption she had made about his motives. "Freya… I promise you that this isn't what you think. Just call me. Either when one of them is ready to talk to me, or when it's safe for me to come home." And then he ended the call, sat down on the edge of his bed, and cried. Not for the woman who was gone, but for the two who were still here, who were hurting, and who he couldn't help.

~Holding on for Dear Life~

It was over two weeks before he got the call from Freya. He had talked to Hope a few times in those weeks, but she had been busy dealing with her first taste of grief, and with trying to be strong for the mother who was falling apart. During one of their conversations, she had confessed that watching Hayley go through that was almost worse than Mary's death.

"I wish Uncle Elijah could be here, Daddy. I really don't know if anyone else can fix this. I've never seen her like this, before. Not even right after you all had to scatter."

Out of the mouths of babes. "I wish he could be there, too, my littlest wolf. But, once it's okay for me to go home, I'm going to see what I can do for her. It won't be nearly the same thing, but hopefully it will be enough."

That conversation had been almost a week before Freya finally called to tell him that Hope was back at school, and it was safe to come home.

He gave Freya a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. "Where is she?"

"Either in her room, or in Elijah's."

Elijah's room? He took the stairs two at a time at vamp speed. She was curled up in Elijah's bed, with her back to the door, clutching a pillow like it was her lifeline. He could smell Elijah's cologne. Did Freya realize that she did this? He walked in and sat on the bed next to her. She gave no indication that she knew he was there. Which was chilling, in itself. How had nobody noticed just how bad she was? How in the world did Hope, ten-year-old Hope, come closest to seeing it?

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I know I'm not what you need, but I am here, love. I'm here."

And then she turned to look at him. Sat up. Threw her arms around him. And cried. And as he held her, and whispered words of reassurance, he realized the other thing that nobody else had noticed. The tears she shed weren't just for Mary, or for Jackson. Here, in this room, with that familiar scent surrounding him, he could see it. It was Elijah. She was finally letting herself cry for Elijah. For the future that they planned together, and that it felt like he had thrown away.

Fuck! How was he supposed to fix this? Strangely enough, death was easier to cope with. He could help her grieve a death. Abandonment was something else entirely. He couldn't help her. In fact, sitting here, in Elijah's room, surrounded by Elijah's things, the scent of Elijah's cologne in the air, and the feel of the woman Elijah had loved in his arms, suddenly he was the one needing comfort. Because that was the thing she may not have realized. He had abandoned all of them. Klaus could still talk to Kol, Rebekah and Hope. Could visit with Hayley and Freya while Hope was in school. Marcel came to visit, sometimes. And sometimes, while Rebekah was visiting Hayley and Freya, he went to visit Marcel. But Elijah? Elijah was relegated to second-hand stories from Josh.

His brother was gone. Hayley's soulmate was gone. And neither of them actually knew how to cope with that. And so they held onto each other, and they cried. And if she thought that he believed it was only Mary and possibly Jackson she was mourning, he let her. And, if she believed that it was only worry about her and Hope that had him crying, he let her do that, too. Because to admit that they were mourning Elijah would be to admit that part of them was starting to lose hope of ever seeing him again. And neither of them was willing to admit that, just yet.

They were going to have to, eventually. He knew that. They were going to have to talk about Elijah, about what his leaving had done to them. He knew that they were the ones most hurt by it. The ones who felt abandoned, cast aside. Even though he knew, and he hoped she knew, that that wasn't the case. It was hard, sometimes, not to think that.

Eventually, her sobs subsided and he let her go. "Are you ready to come downstairs and eat something? I think that Freya is getting worried about you."

"I can't. Please Klaus. I can't face them. Freya, Keelin, Vincent. I can't face any of them. I can't face the pity in their eyes. And I can't… I can't deal with seeing Freya and Keelin together. Not right now. You understand. I can see it in your eyes. You feel the same way." And there it was. The admittance that it was really Elijah that she was crying over.

He nodded. "Perhaps you should move back into your own room. Being in here can't be helping you."

She shook her head. "I need this, right now. I need to be here. I… It's the closest I can get to him. Please understand." She was talking about Elijah and her loss as if he had just left yesterday.

Part of him wanted to shake her. To point out that it had been two years and she needed to move on. But, another part understood. She had never let herself finish the grieving process. He wasn't sure what stage it had stalled at, but it had definitely stalled. And, at some point, she had put on a mask. Become Hope's mother, the Crescent Pack Alpha, Freya's friend. And had buried the part of herself that had had dreams of becoming a Mikaelson for real. And now she was taking that mask off. And what was beneath it was terrifying.

But, now that the mask was off, they could finally get to work healing the broken and battered creature beneath it. Step one, making her eat. Such a simple thing. And yet, such a vital part of returning to some semblance of normalcy.

"I'll go see about getting you some food. And some blood." He stood up and walked out of the room.

He didn't go straight to the kitchen, though. Instead, he went to Hayley's room. And instantly wondered if he was the only one other than her to have stepped foot in here since Elijah had left them. Because, anyone seeing this would have realized that Hayley had not been okay for a very long time. But, the broken furniture wasn't the worst of it. The shattered picture frames, either. No, the worst part was the smell. Elijah's cologne. Faint, faded, as if it had been a long time since it had been sprayed. And yet… still stronger than Hayley's own scent.

She had doused her own bedroom with Elijah's cologne, and then when that hadn't been enough to heal the hole in her heart, she had moved into his bedroom. And nobody had noticed. He barely suppressed a bellow of rage. Only the knowledge that she would hear and possibly be upset by it held him in check. Somebody needed to be strong for her. And since his sister was apparently too oblivious to what had been going on right under her nose, that somebody was going to have to be Klaus.

He stormed into the kitchen and started putting together a plate of Hayley's favorite treats. No, she didn't need the food. Or at least her body didn't. But, she had always enjoyed eating. Enjoyed the way it had made her feel like she was still the same person she had been before she died. It was a small thing, but getting her to eat, even a little, would be the first step in healing her soul.

Though, there was one bit of nutrition he would damn well force down her throat, if he had to. He pulled a blood bag out of the refrigerator, and looked at it in disgust. It would be cold and unappealing. If he was going to coax her back to the land of the living, he needed something more enticing than that.

He grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and held it out to Freya, who had been standing there glaring at him through the entire proceedings. Her glare intensified, and she made no move to take the glass.

"Yours from a glass, or mine straight from the vein. Your choice. But she needs blood." Would she realize just what he was threatening her with?

Apparently she did, because she grabbed the glass from his hand and sliced open her palm, filling the glass before using her magic to heal the cut. Still, she said nothing, just continued to glare at him.

He didn't care. She was pissed at him for some reason. And frankly he didn't care why, either. He was pissed at her, too. She had ignored what was going on in her own house for two years. And now Hayley was so far gone that he wasn't entirely sure that even Elijah could bring her back.

Because the state she was in wasn't caused by Mary's death. That wasn't even the catalyst. All it had done was give her an excuse to drop the mask. The woman currently huddled in his brother's bed had always been there, under the surface. And none of the people closest to her had seen it.

He took the glass from Freya, grabbed the plate, and went back upstairs. His threat to let Hayley drink from him remained the only words spoken between them.

~Holding on for Dear Life~

He made her drink the blood first. "Before it starts to clot. It's fresh, not out of a blood bag, so it will clot."

It was a little worrying that she didn't even bother to ask whose blood it was. But, she took the glass and took a sip.

When she tried to hand it back, he shook his head. "All of it, love. You need to keep your strength up." And then he played dirty, played the one card that would always get her attention. "Hope needs her mother, Hayley. I can't be near her. She needs you."

She glared at him, acknowledging the low blow, and the insinuation that she was neglecting their daughter. But, she took the glass and downed the contents.

He handed her the plate, earning himself another frown. "Eat. I made a point of getting things I knew you would like. You don't want to hurt my feelings by refusing to eat, do you?"

The look she gave him said that she would like to hurt more than his feelings. But he didn't back down. And she finally took a few bites. It wasn't much, and he knew that it was only to get him to take the offending plate away and let her get back to her wallowing, but he would take what he could get. And the plate stayed in her lap until she had sampled some of everything on it.

And now for the part that he knew that she would really fight him on. Her defiance about eating had been nothing more than some weird grief-induced form of teenage rebellion. He had no delusions that his next request would inspire anything less than full-on rage. "You need to get out of this room, Hayley. This isn't healthy."

But, it wasn't rage that greeted him with that statement. Instead, she started shaking. "I can't. Klaus, please. I need him, right now. I need him, and he isn't here. And I can't."

"He isn't here, love. And losing yourself in grief isn't going to bring him back. But, eventually, Freya will fix all of this. And he is going to need you to still be here when that happens. He's going to need you as badly as you need him, right now."

And then the tears came again. And this time, there wasn't any pretending that she was crying over anything or anyone except Elijah. "He left me, Klaus. He just tossed me aside like I never meant anything to him. He told me he loves me, and then he made himself forget me. And I just want him back. I just want him back."

"So do I, love. So do I."

But, he was done giving her a choice. When the tears once again subsided, he scooped her up and carried her out of the room. She was done sleeping with Elijah's ghost. And her own room was trashed. That left Klaus's room as the only viable option.

But, of course, big sister Freya was in the hallway, frowning at him. He ignored her, until she called out to him. "Klaus…"

"Leave it be, sister. This doesn't concern you." You had two years to fix this, and you did nothing. Now it's my turn. Turning his back on Freya, he carried Hayley into his room, kicked the door closed, and set her on his bed. He took the chair in the corner. It was going to be a long night.

"Klaus?"

"Yes?"

"I don't want to be alone."

He couldn't help the half smile at that. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Please. I don't want to be alone."

And then he understood. He sighed and climbed into the bed with her, taking her into his arms. "I'm right here. Now, go to sleep, little wolf. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

Because tomorrow, he was taking her to L.A. if he had to compel her to get her onto the plane. She needed to get away from here.

~Holding on for Dear Life~

It didn't surprise him that he woke before she did. He slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake her. Grabbing her plate and glass from Elijah's room, he headed back down to the kitchen to wash them and make breakfast.

By the time Freya, Keelin and Vincent wandered their way downstairs, Hayley's glass was on the table waiting for one of them to fill it, and Klaus was scooping bacon and eggs onto a plate for her. Though, he was glad that his back was to the room, when Freya spoke.

"Klaus, I need to ask you something, and I need you to give me an honest answer."

He had a feeling that he was very much not going to like this, but he shrugged. "Go right ahead, sister. What do you need to ask me?" He was expecting her to ask exactly what had happened the night before. He wasn't expecting her to immediately make accusations.

"Did you sleep with Hayley, last night?"

Klaus stiffened at that. Did she really think so little of him? Well, then let her. He turned and sneered at her. "So what if I did? I just gave her exactly what she asked me for." And if his dear big sister thought that meant sex, and not just for someone to hold her while she slept, well… It was hardly his fault that she jumped to conclusions, was it?

He turned away from the venom in Freya's eyes. Scooped the last of the eggs onto Hayley's plate, and turned to the table. Somebody had filled the glass. Well, whatever they thought about him, his motives, and just how far he was willing to go, they at least agreed with him that she needed to eat. He picked up the glass and ran up the stairs.

Hayley was awake when he got back to his room. She flinched when she saw what he was carrying. "I'm not hungry."

"I don't recall asking if you were hungry. Here is how this is going to work, Hayley. You are going to drink your blood, and eat your breakfast. All of it. Then you are going to take a shower, and put on clean clothes. You can either do these things of your own free will, or I can compel you to do them. But, you will do them." He turned to his dresser and pulled out a set of clothes for himself. "Now then. I am going to go take a shower. I expect that food and that blood to be gone when I get out. If they are not, then you will lose any semblance of having a choice. Do I make myself clear?"

He wasn't being fair to her. Taking his anger at Freya out on Hayley wasn't helping anyone. Except, as he walked out of the room, he saw Hayley pick up the glass. So, maybe it was helping her, after all.

Once he was in the shower, with the running water hopefully drowning out any sounds he would make, even from Hayley's ears, he rested his forehead against the wall and let himself cry. Did his own sister really think that he would take advantage of Hayley's grief like that? Even if he hadn't stopped thinking of Hayley in any kind of romantic or sexual terms years ago, he wasn't a monster. But, apparently, even his own siblings still automatically assumed the worst of him.

Elijah was the only one who had ever seen any good in him. The only one who thought there was something in him worth saving, worth fighting for. But, Elijah was gone. And now, he and Hayley only had each other. Oh, the others would be there for them. But, the grief they were both feeling, that they had both buried for the past two years, was something only they could understand. None of the others felt abandoned. Maybe because none of the others ever had been abandoned.

But, Hayley had spent the first twenty years of her life thinking her birth parents had abandoned her. And then been kicked out by her adoptive parents when a stupid accident showed her to be something a bit more than human. And Klaus… abused and hated by the man he had called "father". A thousand years running from a father that wanted him dead. Oh, it could be argued that Mikael wanted all of them dead. But, he had wanted Klaus dead long before he had made him immortal.

And now? Now, here they were. The two people who had loved Elijah the most, and who had been loved the most in return. Abandoned once again. This time by the one person they both thought they could count on. This was the real reason why Klaus had the best chance of eventually bringing Hayley back to herself. Because he was the only one who really understood what she was going through.

And so, he stood in the shower and he cried. He cried for the brother he missed more than he had words to express. He cried for the little sister who honestly believed that her soulmate had stopped loving her. He cried for the siblings who would always assume the worst of him, not the black sheep of the family, but rather the rabid wolf who could turn on them in an instant without provocation. And he cried for himself. For the centuries of pain, of never being good enough. He cried until the water ran cold. And then he quickly washed, then got dressed and went back to his room.

Hayley had finished everything he had brought her. Which had to make him smile, despite himself. She looked up when he came in, looking resigned. "I guess it's my turn, then."

"Yes, but wait a minute. I accidentally used the last of the hot water. Let me go see if Freya and Vincent can do something about that." When she nodded, he took her empty plate and glass and went downstairs.

They were all still in the kitchen, he could hear them talking, but couldn't bring himself to care enough to pay attention to what they were saying. He was sure it was about him, and his treatment of Hayley. And he really didn't care about their opinion on that. "I accidentally used all the hot water. Do you think one of you can do something about that so that Hayley can take a shower?"

Freya had changed tactics from staring daggers at him to refusing to even look at him. Whatever. It wasn't as if he cared. "Yeah, fine. I'll take care of it." She walked out of the room.

Klaus looked at Keelin and Vincent. "I suppose the two of you are pissed at me, too?"

"What the hell are you doing, man?"

"That is really not your problem. You all had your chance to deal with her. You didn't. I don't know if I can fix this. But, I'm all we've got. You had your chance. It's my turn, now."

"Mary's been dead for two weeks, Klaus. It's not like you actually gave us a chance to deal with her before swooping in and taking over."

Klaus burst into laughter. "I'm taking Hayley to L.A. As soon as she gets out of the shower and gets dressed. She needs to get out of this house. Do us all, especially her, a favor. While we're gone, go clean her room. All three of you. And then talk to me about me not giving you a chance."

He could hear Freya's footsteps getting closer. And he really was not in the mood to deal with her, right now. He went back upstairs before she could try to talk to him.

"All right, you're all set."

As soon as Hayley went into the bathroom, Klaus walked out again. He started to walk to her room, and then thought better of it. Instead, he went to Elijah's room. Sure enough, it looked like most of Hayley's clothes had been moved in there. Which would explain why it was almost impossible to pick up her scent in her own room. When was the last time she had been in there, anyway? He got out a change of clothes for her to put on after her shower, and then packed her a bag.

Being careful not to see anything he shouldn't he slipped her clothes into the bathroom, and then sat on the edge of his bed and waited for her. When he heard the water turn off, he called for a cab to take them to the airport. "All right, little wolf. Let's go."

"And just where are we going?"

"You are coming home with me. Since nobody here can be trusted to look after you properly, I'm going to do it."

"You want me to go to L.A. with you? Aren't you forgetting something? You accused me of neglecting Hope, earlier. Now you want me to take an extended vacation to the other side of the country? Without even saying goodbye?"

"Fine, we'll go to Mystic Falls, first."

"Which you can't do."

"Enough Hayley! I'll call Caroline. Have her meet us at the airport. She'll take you to see Hope, I'll stay far away. But we are leaving. Now. Remember what I told you, before."

"You'd really compel me to go with you?"

"I will do whatever it takes to save you from yourself. And if that means compelling you into behaving until I can trust you, then I will damn well do it."

"Well, it seems that I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Now you're starting to understand the situation."

He should have known that it wasn't going to be that easy.

Freya was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "We need to talk, Klaus."

"I believe we both said everything that needs to be said, already. Clean her room, Freya. Don't let her come home to that." And with that, he took Hayley's hand and walked out of the house, making a point of slamming the door behind him. He supposed that he should be grateful that his sister didn't use her magic to stop them. But, the fact that he should, only served to piss him off more.